Sugarberry

The Sugarberry tree, Celtis laevigata, is also commonly called sugar hackberry or southern hackberry or Mississippi hackberry. Leaves are glossy to dull green leaves (2-4” long) and have a yellow fall color. Sugarberry is a medium to large sized deciduous tree that typically grows 60-80’ tall with upright-arching branching and a rounded spreading crown. Fleshy parts of the fruit are edible and sweet. Fruits are attractive to a variety of wildlife, especially birds. Female flowers give way to an often abundant fruit crop of round fleshy berry-like drupes maturing to deep purple. The trunk diameter ranges from 1-3' and the mature gray bark develops a warty texture. The Sugarberry tree differs from common hackberry because the fruits are juicier and sweeter, bark is less corky, and leaves are narrower with mostly smooth margins. Sugarberry trees are basically a southern version of common or northern hackberry. It has better resistance to witches’ broom and less winter hardiness. ... more information